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An article reported traffic chaos Fiji Times A fire broke out in Nausori on Monday, August 20, 1984, as a result of an accident on the old Rewa bridge.
The traffic jam held up road and air travelers for more than five hours.
The article stated that the accident was caused by a bulldozer of the Royal Fiji Military Forces falling from a military truck, causing serious obstruction to the travel of passengers and affecting scheduled flights at Nausori Airport.
Witnesses recounted the dramatic moment just before 1pm when the bulldozer, which was carrying a military truck, collided with a bottle collection vehicle on a narrow bridge.
“The military truck moved to the left to make way for passing vehicles but unfortunately the bulldozer’s blade hit the diagonal support on the bridge causing the bulldozer to slide and land on the truck below.”
While the incident is concerning, fortunately no one was injured.
However, the aftermath of the accident was that hundreds of vehicles were trapped on both sides of the bridge until around 6 pm that day, causing great inconvenience to travelers and local residents.
Muhammad Yunus, an employee of Western Cleanup Company, is said to have played a key role in resolving the issue.
“It took us four hours to clear the bridge,” Mr Yunus said.
“To stabilize the bulldozer, we had to start it and lower the fork attached to the back of the bulldozer. This fork acted as a jack and gradually raised the bulldozer while we placed timber supports under the bulldozer tracks.
“We then carefully towed the bottle collector’s truck away using a trailer.
“Next, we lowered the ramp for the military vehicle and successfully moved the bulldozer from the bridge onto the military vehicle.”
As a result of the incident, Pacific Airlines was forced to delay five flights departing from Nausori Airport by half an hour each.
Passengers and airport staff found themselves walking to the airport amid traffic jams.
“This is a cautious process,” Mr Yunus said.
“By gradually lifting and supporting the bulldozer, we were able to return it to the military vehicle safely.”
The unusual disruption came after the military truck encountered an unexpected obstacle while transporting the bulldozer from Kasavu in Nausori County to Nabua in Suva County.
Despite the inconvenience, quick action by the rescue teams and staff ensured that normalcy returned to the area by the evening of the same day.
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